Is This the Future You Wanted?
by That GF FAN
Summary: Inspired by Alex Hirsch's scrapped idea from his commentary on Weirdmageddon 2 in the complete series box set. With Weirdmageddon now over, Dipper gets a taste of what working with Stanford maybe like, and what consequences will arise from it when he gets a glimpse into the future. Or does he? And is everything really normal?


_**Cover art credit goes to triturechan on Tumblr**_

 _This story was loosely inspired by Alex Hirsch's scrapped idea from his commentary on Weirdmageddon 2 in the complete series box set. Credit to the original idea goes to Alex Hirsch. This is my take on how that idea might have worked out. I hope you like it._

* * *

"Nope! Not looking, NOT LOOKING," yelled Dipper as he ran out of the room. Mabel looked on concerned but did not try to stop him.

Dipper stormed out of the castle and speed walked down the road. The sun beamed brighter and the music playing felt like it was getting louder.

"Ah. Get a hold of yourself Dipper. You gotta think of a way to save Mabel. Whatever it might be," he said.

But truth was, Dipper was on his own now. Mabeland had seduced Soos and Wendy and Mabel was obviously not going to budge. He had to come up with a plan to save them all. But how? The journals we're gone, Ford was gone, and his other half was under Bill's control. What was he to do?

At that moment, Dipper spotted a familiar figure. It was Ford, wandering aimlessly around Mabeland. He could hardly believe it.

"Great Uncle Ford," he yelled.

Ford looked over and ran to him, "Oh Dipper, I'm so glad to see you," he said.

"What happened I thought Bill had frozen you," said Dipper.

"Ha. As I suspected after all this time. Bill let himself think he was better. But what he didn't do was freeze my cognitive self. I managed to think it up and was able to unfreeze myself. When Bill wasn't looking I got back my quantum destabilizer, shot him in the back and sent his 3 sided self back to the nightmare he came from," said Ford.

"Wa…wait? So, you defeated Bill," asked Dipper.

"I most certainly did. Weirdmageddon is over, Bill is dead and everything is back to normal," replied Ford.

"But then, why are we still in Mabeland," Dipper asked.

"Oh, that's just some lingering effects of Weirdmageddon. They'll be gone soon. And anyways Dipper, I need your help. A group of mummies escaped a cave nearby and I need your help to defeat them. Will you come with me," Ford asked handing Dipper his backpack?

Dipper looked up at Ford. He was still a bit nervous about Mabel and the others. Something just did not feel right about all of this.

"Are you sure Mabel will be fine," he asked.

"Of course she will," Ford said. "She'll be back waiting for us at the shack when we're done."

Dipper, while a bit hesitant still smiled as he looked to Ford, "alright, let's do this."

The two raced off. As they jump out of the bubble, Dipper could see Ford was not messing around. Weirdmageddon may have been over but a heard of mummies were now invading the town.

"What do we do," he asked Ford.

"Here. Shoot this at them. It should kill them," Ford said throwing a modified magnet gun at him.

Dipper smiled. He felt as if he was finally getting to hang out with Ford the way he always wanted to.

The two fought the mummies all through the day and by dusk, they had gotten the last one.

"That was awesome! What a rush! I even got a scar" Dipper said showing Ford a scar on his arm from where a mummy scratched him.

Ford laughed, "You got lucky. Normally I finish a day with multiple on my face. Seriously do mummies ever cut their nails," Ford said.

The two laughed, "So uh, Grunkle Ford? Are we going to head back to the shack now," Dipper asked?

"Not quite yet. I want to run some experiments on these mummy limbs we collected and my lab in the shack is not equipped for that stuff. Good thing we're by the bunker," Ford said as he started for it.

"But, I want to make sure Mabel is safe. I'm still a bit worried about her," replied Dipper.

"Don't worry Dipper, like I said, Mabel is fine. And besides we have some important work to do and I need more then two hands to help me out. I promise we'll head there right after this," Ford replied.

Dipper felt a bit nervous, but he figured if Weirdmageddon was over, Bill was dead and they had defeated the last remaining elements of his rein of terror, Mabel should be safe and sound back at the shack. After all, Stan was there. What did he have to worry about?

"Okay, but once we're done, we go to the shack," said Dipper.

With that the two head down into the bunker's lab to start experimenting.

"Hold up Dipper. If you're going to help me, you'll need one of these," said Ford pulling out a lab coat.

"Woah! Is this for me," he asked.

"Of course, it is. See," Ford said pointing to Dipper's name stitched into the coat.

Dipper took off his blue vest and put on the lab coat. He smiled with absolute pride, "I'm ready" he said.

Dipper and Ford immediately got to work. They examined each mummy limb from top to bottom. As Ford would look through it and say things, Dipper would record them into a journal. They experimented with attempts to reactive the limbs and try to work out what lead to the mummies coming back to life.

The experiments went on for what felt like hours and soon, Dipper lost all track of time. Sleep was of the bare minimum and the hours of work was difficult. Ford would often ask question he did not know the answers to. And the solitude of being alone in a dark lab would often get to him.

The voices. The sounds of friends and family playing in his head like a broken VHS tape on loop. They were scarce and scratchy. But he knew who they we're. But he had no time for them.

He was perusing science with his idol. The man he had spent the whole summer looking for. What joy it was that he was related to him too. In a million years, how was he to know that?

"Alright then Dipper, I think we've mummied out these mummy remains if you know what I mean," said Ford one morning as Dipper walked into the lab.

"Oh. So, what do we do now," he asked

"Well I have been wanting to try and catch a ghost to experiment with the possibility of using it's energy to power a microwave. Imagine it. Spectre powered microwaves cooking your instant noodles. Think of how much money collages will save on electricity if they used ghost power," he said.

"Then tuition costs would be less and more affordable for people," asked Dipper.

"Correct. Well maybe" Ford said.

"I like the sound of that. Come one lets get our crossbows, I know this place with a lot of ghost activity! It's an abandoned convenience store and…."

"Patience my apprentice. We need to get some supplies from my lab back at the shack first. Then we'll get a move on. You can even go see Mabel while we're there.

That was the first time Ford had called Dipper his apprentice. And in what felt like weeks it was also the first time had heard the name of his sister. He'd forgotten he wanted to go back to the shack to see her after they fought the mummies.

"Oh yea. Mabel. Yikes, in all the excitement I almost forgot about her. Well what are we waiting for. Let's get back to the shack, get the equipment and get ghost hunting," Dipper said excitedly.

The two cleaned up the bunker lab, took off their lab coats and got into their regular clothes before heading out of the bunker for the shack.

Dipper was immediately struck by the sunlight. Having been underground for so long, the sun beams hitting his eyes made him feel like he had just woken up. Right after that, he felt a chill in the wind. He looked around. All the trees had changed color. They no longer we're lush green but red, yellow, orange and even brown. It was Fall.

"How long we're we down in the bunker for Grunkle Ford," Dipper asked.

"Oh, not long. Fall in Gravity Falls just likes coming earlier then normal. Now come along, we have a long walk back to the Shack," he said.

Dipper followed Ford. Everything about the place looked much different. Maybe it was the Fall vibe but nothing seemed normal. Dipper got glimpses of the town through the tree lines. It was in many ways the same way it was when him and Ford we're fighting the mummies. It didn't even look like Weirdmageddon had ever happened.

The duo walked for what felt like an hour. The walk back to the shack was never this long when he and Mabel had first found the bunker. Dipper began to feel a bit uneasy. But he trusted Ford so he did not bring up his concern. And in reality, he could not wait until they got all the stuff they needed to go ghost hunting. It was going to be a fun evening.

"Oh, just my luck. Dipper, I think I left something back at the bunker. I can't carry this stuff there and back again. Is it okay if you wait here? The shack is just a little bit further too," Ford said.

"uh, okay. I'll be right here waiting," said Dipper.

"Great. Thanks Dipper. These have been some incredible last few days and I can't thank you enough for all your help."

Dipper smiled at hearing that. But before he could reply, Ford had raced off back to the bunker.

Dipper sat there waiting for Ford to return. He was excited. He really was. But the quietness of it all did not fill him with the comfort he thought it would. It left him feeling empty, lonely, all the things he did not wish to ever feel.

His deep train of thought was then interrupted when a squirrel raced over to him, grabbed a test tube Ford had in his bag and raced off.

"Hey, get back here. That's my Grunkle Ford's tube of weird substances," Dipper said as he raced after the squirrel. Soon the squirrel dropped it. Dipper bent down to pick it up, only to notice he had reached the edge of the forest.

He looked up to see a sidewalk and on the other side of the road, there was a high school. But it was not Gravity Falls High School.

It was Piedmont High School.

The high school him and Mabel we're going to be going in one more year. Dipper was confused. How on Earth could he be here? What was happening? At that moment the bell rang. As he watched the students exit the building he spotted something.

Someone.

Dipper decided to investigate closer.

He walked to the nearby intersection and started crossing the road, at the same time a bunch of high school students we're too. Dipper felt short and squashed as he walked through the sea of boys and girls. They all looked down at Dipper as he crossed the street, confused as to why a middle school aged child was walking towards a high school with a backpack full of journals and paranormal looking equipment. Dipper ignored them as he reached the fence. He looked through it and spotted her.

Mabel.

There was Mabel. She looked older. She had grown. She must have been about Wendy's height and age now. She was there talking and hanging out with some of her friends from middle school. They we're all older looking and seemed to be having a lot of fun. Dipper looked around the campus and noticed many other people he knew.

He saw a few people he was friends with talking, studying and laughing, people he knew or worked with on projects chatting and heading out for lunch, even some bullies he knew doing "questionable activities" in the parking lot.

Dipper felt a huge amount of regret and realization hit him. Mabel was not waiting for him back at the shack. She was gone. She was back home in Piedmont, alone. Fall in Gravity Falls had not come early like said, it was Fall, September or October most likely. And not this year, but a few years. Mabel was in high school, without him.

But she didn't seem to be sad or lonely. She was happy. She was with here friends. She did not even look a bit depressed. Meanwhile he was just a few minutes ago sitting alone in a forest with no one to talk to but his now regretting subconscious.

At that moment one of the girls Mabel was talking to looked over to him. Dipper could over hear what she said next.

"Hey Mabel, isn't that your brother over there," she said. Mabel looked over to Dipper.

For a brief instant, the two make eye contact. The look on Mabel's face was enough to make Dipper feel helpless. All the arrogance and power he had felt collapsed in on himself like a dying star about to got supernova.

"Ya, you're right. No offense Mabel but I find it a bit creepy he hangs out with some old guy in a basement all day," another girl said.

"Well I mean, that old guy is my genius great uncle. I told you, he stayed in Gravity Falls to follow his dreams," Mabel said.

"Ya we know that," said another one of Mabel's friends.

"But it's still a bit creepy he collects animal parts in a basement," said the first girl again.

"That photo he sent you of that dead monster almost made me vomit all over my math homework," another girl adds in on to the conversation.

The group then starts laughing. Everyone but Mabel. Dipper looked on but Mabel pretended to not even notice him.

"I still can't believe he did not even say goodbye to you. I mean is science more important to him then family," another girl said.

"Okay guys that's enough! You remember Mabel doesn't like talking about that stuff," another girl said as she sits down next to Mabel who was looking obviously distressed.

"It's okay guys. I…I don't feel too well anyways. I'll be in the cafeteria if you need me. See you in history class," Mabel said as she got up and walked inside.

Mabel's friends follow after her and soon they're all gone. Dipper sits down on the concrete sidewalk. It was not entirely seeing Mabel not wanting to see him that hurt, it was the fact that he was missing out on life.

Dipper realized at that moment what taking Ford's apprenticeship offer would mean. His life would be nothing but being cooped up in a lab doing experiments, no one to talk to of his age and no time for fun. He was still a kid after all. Life still had so much to offer him an he wanted to take on the opportunities that came his way. But at the same time, he didn't want to take them on too fast.

What good would being a genius do to him if he had no one to talk to or share it with. What good was it all without Mabel? He could not imagine that.

Dipper soon realized another thing. He was not in reality. Something was not playing out right. He raced across the street and started for the Mystery Shack in the direction Ford had told him.

He was met with a spectacle which made him hope he really was not living in reality anymore. The Mystery Shack sign was gone. All evidence that a tourist trap once existed in this building was gone.

Dipper walked inside the shack. He could not see any sign of Grunkle Stan or Mabel. Even Waddles was nowhere to be found. Dipper felt his heart sink when he walked into Stan's room and saw it empty. No evidence that Stan was ever here remained. The gift shop was barren, the museum was filled with boxes and the place stank of chemicals and propane.

Just then the front door opened and shut. Dipper raced over to see Ford arrive carrying the bags he has been tasked with to look after.

"Grunkle Ford what happened here? And where's Grunkle Stan," he asked. He didn't want to mention how he had been transported to Piedmont just yet. He needed to know what happened here first.

"Oh nothing. Stanley left as he promised me at the end of the summer. Mabel did too. But I still have you. And now that this place is back to being like it was when I lived here alone, we can do many experiments now. Undisturbed, uninterrupted, untested," Ford said with a smile.

"Wait, you told Grunkle Stan to leave? And I thought you said Fall hadn't arrived yet," Dipper protested.

"Of course I did. It was part of our agreement. He could stay for the summer to take care of you and Mabel. After that, I wanted my house back and him out. But then I discovered how much you and me have in common. Good thing I let the good one stay," said Ford.

"Wait. What are you talking about"

"Come on Dipper. Come with me. Forget about Mabel, forget about Stan, forget about your old life and everyone and everything else. You and me are going places. Like you said. We have ghosts to defeat," said Ford.

"Really," Dipper said as he looked up at Ford.

"Really, my apprentice. Just take my hand" Ford said with a smile and a wink.

It was at that moment, it hit Dipper.

"Wait! No! Ah, this isn't real," he screamed.

Dipper watched in horror as Ford transformed into thousands of millipedes and broke apart.

The shack began to shack violently as a deformed face materialized on the roof, "you shouldn't have done that Dipper! We're watching you," the face yelled.

"There are eyes everywhere," said a near by table as it and multiple items in the shack grew yellow demonic eyes.

"Oh my goodness. I gotta get out of here," Dipper said. The front door had grown an eye and was locked. Dipper ran through the shack until he reached the back exit.

He swung the door open with all his might and escaped the shack. Gasping for breath, Dipper fell onto the grass. He looked behind him to see just the door to the shack. As he got up he realized something. He was still in Mabeland. It was all an illusion. A façade. A gimmick by Bill to seduce him.

He opened the door again to see everything in the shack was back to the way it was when he got there. He immediately shut the door.

"Hey Dipper."

"Hey Dipper"

"Hey Dipper."

"Hey Dipper."

"Hey Dipper."

Dipper looked over the see the members of Several Timez ride by on a five-person bicycle.

Right after that the door in front of him disappears.

Dipper begins to hyperventilate. He grabs his chest and starts panicking.

"Oh my gosh. This is crazy. Um- I'm losing my mind. We have to get out of here. We have to go back. TO THE REAL WORLD!"

Those last words Dipper speaks echo through the surrounding land. People and animals around Mabeland look on in shock, gasping and in disbelief. Even Mabel is taken aback by those words.

The next thing Dipper knew, he's being tackled to the ground by a waffle guard.

* * *

 **The End!**


End file.
